howlett



July 17, 1928. 1,677,343

' r R. E. HOWLETT STITCH DOWN SHOE AND PROCESS OF MAKING SAME Filed Nov. 18, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR.

ATITORNE July 17, 1928.

R. E. HOWLETT STITCH DOWN SHOE AND PROCESS OF MAKING SAME Filed Nov. 18, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 22 E- 23 21 i 21 v 2e 9- r H K r 414 fiyzo 5 INVENTOR.

Z 4 ATTORNEY.

Patented July .17, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

STITCH-DOWN SHOE AND PROCESS OF MAKING SAME.

Application filed November 18, 1924. Serial No. 750,568.

This invention relates to shoes, and more particularly to shoes of the type in which the sole is secured to an outwardly turned margin of the upper and which are commonly known as stitch down shoes.

The invention has for its general object to improve both the construction and methods of manufacture of shoes of this type with a view to improving their comfort, appearance and wearing qualities.

Stitch down shoes as heretofore manufactured are open to the objection that the upper face of the insole lies below the upper surface of the welt. The foot thus is sur rounded by an upwardly projecting ridge or shoulder, and if the foot has any tendency to roll in either direction, the presence of this ridge or shoulder makes the shoe very uncomfortable. It is one of the objects of this invention, therefore, to devise a stitch down shoe construction which will not have this objectionable feature.

A further objection to stitch down shoes as heretofore manufactured is that there is a relatively wide crease between the welt and upper which becomes very pronounced if the foot tends to push the upper away from the welt. The wide edge, also, which projects laterally beyond the upper in a shoe of this kind, and which has been regarded as necessary, is very objectionable from the standpoint of appearance, and it has been a serious handicap to the commercial introduction of these shoes. The present invention also deals with this problem and provides a shoe which is not open to either of the objections just mentioned. The invention is further directed to the improvement of shoes of this type with a view to facilitating repair, and aims to devise a shoe which can be repaired .in substantially the same manner as welt shoes, and by the use of the same machinery.

The nature of the invention will be read-- ily understood from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring now to the drawings,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a shoe embodying this invention but showing the shoe at an intermediate stage in the process of manufacture;

Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are perspective, cross-sectional views of a portion of the shoe shown in Fig. 1 illustrating various steps in the process of manufacture; and

Figs. 5 to 8 inclusive are views similar to Fig. 4 but showing different constructions embodying the present invention.

Figs. 9 to 11 are perspective and crossscctional views of a modified form of insole and a perspective, cross-sectional view of a shoe having this form of insole, respectively.

According to the present process the parts of the upper and the lining, if one is used, may be cut out of suitable stock and sewed together in the usual manner- Referring first to Figs. 1 to 4, 2 designates the upper, and 3 an insole provided with a shouldered margin. The shoulder is preferably undercut, as indicated at 4; that is, the margin of the insole is reduced in thickness and the out which forms the upper surface of the reduced portion is extended under the shoulder slightly.

After the upper and. insole have been properly prepared, they are assembled on a last 5 and they are secured in their assembled relationship preferably by four staples, two of these staples being driven at the toe and heel, respectively, and. two more at the opposite sides of the forepart near the ends of the toe cap seam. The toe staple is shown in Fig. 1 at 6 and one of the side staples is shown in Fig. 2 at 7 These staples may be conveniently driven by a staple laster. When this operation has been completed, the outturned margin of the up pelr lieson the reduced margin of the in- SO 9.

. Instead of proceeding now with the lasting operation, I prefer to combine this operation with that of welting, performing them both simultaneously. I prefer also to use a welt which is folded longitudinally in the middle. This combined welting and lasting operation usually is started at one side of the shoe adjacent to the breast'corner and proceeds first around the heel and then around the forepart. The operation preferably is performed in a step by step manner with theaid of a staple laster. The shoe should be presented to the nose or nozzle of the machinein such a position that the staples will be driven through the Walt,- upper and insole at an angle directed downwardly and inwardly with reference to the shoe so that the staples will draw the welt and upper in Fig, 3 in which thestaple 8 is shown driven through th middle of the welt strip 9 and into the corner of the shoulder. This makes a tight joint between the welt and the upper and between the upper and the insole. I find that the undercutting of the shoulder as shown at 1 also facilitates the makingof a tight joint between these parts. Fig. 1 shows a'shoe with one side welted and lasted. The ends of the staples are clinched upon the lower face of the insole so that they securely fasten the welt, upper and insole together; i V V WVhen this combined welting and lasting operation has been con'ipleted, the inner surfaces of the welt are coated withcement and the two parts of the welt are then folded down together as shown in Fig. 4,. The outsole 10: is next applied and. is stitched to the folded, welt, the insole and the outturned marginal flange of the upper, shown in 4, the outseam being shown at 12. After the stitching operation has been completed, the remaining manufacturing operations may be performed in any suitable manner. Usually the heel is attached, the edges are rough rounded and trimmed, and the other finishing operations are performed. In the construction shown in Fig. 5 the insole is made of two. parts 13 and 14, the upper part 13 lying entirely inside the shoe and its edge forming the shoulderof the insole. In this construction the undercut is formed by grooving the edge of the insole member 13, as'indicated at 15. These two sections of the-insole may be secured together by tacks oi staples driven through both members and clinched, or they may be cemented together. The process of manufacturing this shoe is essentially like that above described in connection with Figs. 1, to 4, except for difi'ershoes in the preparation of the insole. This construction has the advantage, however,of

locating the staples 8 entirely within the outline of the upper surface of the insole.f It

a will be observed that in both this construction and that above described, the staples are located inside their point of anchoragein the welt, but in Fig. 5 the. staples lie entirely under, orinside of, the shoulder, whereas in the construction shown in Fig. 4 theupper portion of each staple 8v is" outside the shoulder of the insole. f

The construction sh'ownin Fig. 5 also has'th'e further advantage 7 that the edge '16 of the upper section 13 of the insole occupies the same relative position in the shoe as does the feather of the insole of a Goodyear welt shoe. This edge may be 'us'ed'as a'guidef in perform-ring the rough rounding and outseaming operations exactly as it is in manufacturing Goodyear shoes.- In fact, this shoe resembles a Goodyear welt shoe very closely.

Both the shoes above described are un-'' liued. It will be ev dent, however, that a lining maybe used if desired, and that the margin of this lining may be turned outwardly with the upper and then trimmed off, as usual"; Another method of disposing of the lining is shown in Fig. 6 which illustrates a shoe of the same construction. as shown in Fig. 5, except that it includes a lining 17. After the upper and the insole section 13 have been assembled on a last, the liningis pulled over themai'gin of the insole layer 13 and is cemented to it, this marginal portion being indicated in Fig. 6 at 18. Thereafter theinsole section 14 is secured to the part 13, and the other manufacturingoperations are carried on as before.

Another variation is illustrated in Fig. 7 in which the greater part of the'outturned margin of the upper 2 andl-ining 17'is trimmed off before the outseaming operation. In other respects the shoe is like'that shown in Fig. 5. This has the result. of re'-' ducing the thickness of the edge since a certain amount of the surplus marginal stock underlying the welt is removed.

Fig. 8 shows a .constructionlike Fig. 5 except that the lower insole section 14 is made much lighter or thinner, and a sub-' stantial part of the projecting margin of this section of the insole is trimmed off after the lasting and" welting operation and before the outseam is run. This also'has'the effect of reducing the amount of stock between the welt and the outsole, and thus makes a shoe having a thinner edge.

In securing the folds of the welt together in all these'constructions it is preferable to use a waterproof cement or marine glue so that these parts will stay permanently united, notwithstanding the fact that they has a solid bottom, no filler being required,

and in this respect it is superior to a welt shoe. In appearance the shoeresembles a welt very closely, particularly the thinner edge constructions above described. The upper and welt are drawn into the angle of the shoulder in the insole solirmly that the wide crease which formerly has been objectionable in stitch-down shoes is completely also be easily re-soled by ripping off the outsole and stitching a new outsole on the shoe exactly as welt shoes are repaired. The fact that all the staples are well inside the outseam makes it impossible for the needle of the outsole stitcher to strike any of the staples.

Vhile I prefer to use staples 8 to secure the welt and upper to the insole, other fastening means could be used for this purpose, as, for instance, stitches. It is preferable, however, from the standpoint of reducing manufacturing expense to use staples since this permits the lasting and inseaming operations to be combined, whereas these operations could not be combined and still be performed by machinery if these parts were to be sewed together. Inothcr words, this step in the process would have to be per formed by hand if a stitched inseam were to be used.

It will be evident that the insole shown in Figs. to 8 instead of being made of two pieces, could be made of a single piece of stock, the edge being reduced and grooved before the assembling operation.

A novel construction of insole, which also can be used to advantage in this type of shoe, is shown in Figs. 9, 10 and 11. This insole preferably is made from an insole blank of leather by first cutting a groove 21 in the margin thereof from the vicinity of one breast corner, around the toe, to the opposite breast corner. A wide lip or flange 22 .is then cut out of the body of the insole, this flange extending around the portion of the insole which is provided with the groove 21. After this flange has been cut it is turned upwardly and outwardly, the flange being slashed, if desired, around the toe and beaten down. The flange is cut out of the flesh side of the stock, and it is assembled on the last with the grain side against the bottom of the last, as will be obvious from an inspection of Fig. 11. The manufactur ing operations are then carried on as above described.

The stock removed by the formation of the groove 21, provides the necessary space for the reception of the portions of the welt and upper that underlie the edge 23 of the body portion of the insole, At the same time the flange 22, which has been cut from the body of the insole, projects outwardly beyond the edge 23 far enough to receive the outseam. Preferably the space 24 from which the flange 22 has been cut, is filled with some filling material, such as that used in the bottoms of welt shoes; and, if desired, the lower face of this insole maybe reinforced. with textile fabric cemented thereto.

This insole may be used either alone or one member of an insole of the character shown in Figs. 5 to 8.

It will be evident that the construction of the shoe and the manufacturing processes will vary somewhat with the style, size and general character of the shoe. For example, it is not necessary to have the welt go entirely around the heel, but the welt may be stopped in the shank and the heel portion of the upper and lining, if used, last-ed, under. This, however, is a common expedient. The invention, therefore, is not limited to the precise details of the disclosure above made.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to claim as new is:

1. A stitch down shoe comprising an insole, an upper having an outturned marginal portion lying on the margin of the insole, a folded welt on said outturned margin of the upper, a series of staples securing the welt, upper and insole together, said staples engaging the welt between the folds thereof and being clinched on the lower surface of the insole, and an outsole secured to said welt.

2. A stitch down shoe comprising an insole having a marginal shoulder, an upper having an outturned margin overlying the margin. of the insole, a folded welt on said outturned margin, a line of fastenings 6X tending along the base of said shoulder and directed downwardly and inwardly through the welt, upper and insole, said fastenings being anchored in the welt between the folds thereof and being clinched on the lower surface of said insole, whereby they draw the welt and upper into the angle of said shoulder, and an outsole secured to said welt.

3. That improvement in the art of making stitch down shoes, which comprises placing an upper on an insole with the margin of the upper turned outwardly on the marginal portion of the insole, working the upper step by step into substantially its final relation ship to the insole with. the margin of said upper resting on the margin of said insole, and substantially simultaneously therewith securing a welt to the upper and insole by fastening means extending through the welt at an intermediate point in its width, turning a portion of said welt down over said fastening means to conceal them, and then securing an outsole to said welt.

4. That improvement in the art of making stitch down shoes, which comprises assembling the upper and insole on a last with the margin of the upper turned outwardly upon the marginal portion of the insole, securing the upper and insole in the proper relationship preparatory to performing the making operations, working the upper into the desired relationship to the last and simul-- taneously therewith laying a welt on the outturned margin of the upper and securing both the welt and upper to theinsole, fold- 5. That improvement in the art of making stitch down shoes, which comprises assembling the upper and insole on a last'with the margin of the upper turned outwardly upon the marginal portion of the insole, securing the upper and insole in the proper relationship preparatory to performing the making operations, performing simultaneously the lasting and welting operations,

' folding; a portion of the welt over the fast- 7 ening means by which the upper is secured in lasted position to conceal said fastening over portion ofthe welt.

6. A stitch down shoecomprising anin sole having a reduced .n'iargin with an upwa'rdly extending undercut shoulder at the junction'of saidmargin with the main body of the insole said shoulder including i a "part overlying the undercut; an upper having an outturned margin lylngon said reduced margin of the'insole, a foldedwelt on said outturncd margin, a line of metallic fastenings anchored in the welt between the folds thereof -and extendingdownwardly andfinwardly through the welt, upper and insole and clinched on the lower side of theinsole,

said fastenings-holdingsaid upper securely' against the undercut portion of -said shoulder; and an outsole secured tosaid'welt.

7 That improvement in the art of making stitch'down shoes which comprises assembling the upper and insole of a shoe on alast with the margin of the upper turned out wardly on the marginalportion ofqthe insole, securing the'upper and insole in the proper relat'ionship'to each otherpreparato'ry to performing the making-operations, and then performing the lasting and" welti-ng operations simultaneously,- 

